Veterinary Task Force on Feline Sterilization Recommendations for Age of Spay and Neuter Surgery – This official recommendation is the foundation of the Feline Fix by Five campaign. It reflects expert consensus on optimal age for sterilization and serves as a guide for veterinarians and advocates around US and the globe.

Pet Adoption & Spay/Neuter: Understanding Public Perceptions by the Numbers– This survey, conducted by IPSOS Marketing for PetSmart Charities (2009 & 2011), revealed widespread misunderstandings about the appropriate age for spay/neuter. These findings helped spark the creation of the Feline Fix by Five campaign.

• Access to care: What does it means to veterinary practitioners
• No reason to delay
• Incorporating Feline Fix by Five into your veterinary practice
• Build your practice by offering early age spaying & neutering
• Early age neutering: Perfect for every practice (presented at the NAVC 2000)
• Surgical sterilization: Earlier is better
• Timely sterilization makes sense for the practice and the pets
• Eliminate pre-sterilization litters by spaying before the first estrus: Making the case to your veterinarian
• Countering the pushback against spay/neuter

• Feline Sterilization at 5 months accepted as new normal (Mar 3, 2022; dvm360)
• Setting the timetable for sterilizing pets (May 25, 2021; dvm360)
• Earlier-than-usual neutering can ease sexual aggression in male cats (Jul 8, 2020; Veterinary Practice News)
• Fix by Five – an ethical responsibility? (Feb 25, 2020; Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery)
• Commentary: Early feline spay is the best way (Jul 9, 2018; dvm360)
• Why the change in recommended age of sterilization of cats? (Spring 2018; Missouri Veterinary Quarterly)
• New advice on sterilizing kittens: Earlier is better (Jun 23, 2017; dvm360)
• The Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ 2016 veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs (Jul 15, 2016; JAMVA)
• Spay/Neuter: It’s not just about whether, it’s also about when (2012; Getting to Zero: A roadmap to ending animal shelter overpopulation in the United States, Chapter 5)
• An overview of pediatric spay and neuter benefits and techniques (Feb 1, 2011; dvm360)
• Schedule sterilizations early to keep patients healthy (May 26, 2010; dvm360)

• Feline sterilization at 5 months accepted as new normal (May 19, 2022; Community Cats Podcast)
• Feline Fix by Five (Feb 4, 2021; Community Cats Podcast)
• World Spay Day & Feline Fix by Five Months (Feb 22, 2022; Bling, Bitches, & Blood)
• It could finally be a turning point for cats (Jan 8, 2018; Community Cats Podcast)
• Spay cats by five month to save more lives (Dec 6, 2017; HuffPost)
• Fix Felines by Five: Preventing whoops litters (Apr 4, 2017; PetGuide.com)
• World Spay Day: Feline Fix by Five (Feb 28, 2017; Cat Wisdom 101)

• Episode #215 – Esther Mechler (The Community Cats Podcast)
• Episode #45 – Esther Mechler (The Community Cats Podcast)
• Episode #3 – Dr. Phil Bushby and Esther Mechler (United We Spay)
• Spay/Neuter by 5 Months: Why the Change (originally presented by Dr. Phil Bushby)

• How to prevent unwanted litters and save millions of kittens’ lives
• Feline Fix by Five PSA
• See more on our YouTube channel here!